The One to Count On...

The Knoxville Baseball Squad pulled the brooms out against Grinnell last night as the Panthers won 8-4 in game one and held off the Tigers in the nightcap 3-2. Knoxville broke the first game open with four runs in the second inning, and made sure of no Grinnell comeback in the fifth with three more runs to cross. Kaden Loscher for the second time in a week got the win in relief pitching five solid innings allowing just one run on two hits, one strikeout and two walks. In the nightcap, the Panthers got a solid performance from Ross Shelford on the mound and what Coach Joel Johnson called “winning plays” to get a 3-2 win. With the score 3-2 in the sixth, Grinnell had the tying run coming home, but Nolan Wallace threw a perfect strike from centerfield to catcher Tony Salato to gun down the Tiger runner for the third out. Shelford came out in the seventh to strike out the side to preserve the win. Coach Joel Johnson said the guys are starting to make the plays that are needed to win ball games. Shelford went the distance giving up two runs while allowing seven hits on six strikeouts and no walks. Knoxville is 7-5 on the season and 5-2 in the Little Hawkeye Conference, which puts the Panthers in second place and what now becomes a big game tomorrow at Oskaloosa.